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Island Connections Transit
Island Connections Transit (ICT) is a public transit agency serving the city of Rapid City, Washington. It operates light rail service (University Streetcar) on the Whidbey Island University campus with a proposed line serving the downtown area, regional commuter rail and bus service. Island Connections Transit was created in 1989 by Island County to build a regional transit system. It was conceived two years after Island Transit began service in Oak Harbor. Bus service began in 1990 with commuter rail commencing in 1992 and the University Streetcar opening in 2002. The ICT Tower in downtown Rapid City has served as the agency's headquarters since its opening in 1999. Bus service Bus service in Rapid City had a soft opening on September 17, 1989 with one express route while full service on 5 different routes began October 1, 1989. Busses remain the most popular form of public transit in Rapid City although the agency hopes to get more citizens interested in light rail. Most busses originate from the Downtown Transfer Station. There are currently 28 bus routes operated by ICT. Comprehensive Transit Plan ICT began developing a Comprehensive Transit Plan in the summer of 2019 to redesign and streamline the bus riding experience in Rapid City. Initial plans call for new neighborhood loops with BRT routes connecting neighborhoods. The official plans are expected to be announced in spring 2020.These new routes are expected to be divided into three classifications: Connect Local, Connect Rapid and Connect Express which will be distinguised by a unique color. Connect Local routes will run primarilily within singular neighborhoods and will stop approximately every block. Connect Rapid will be BRT routes that run on dedicated bus lanes and intended to connect neighborhoods and travel longer distances than local routes. Connect Rapid will only stop at major destinations and transfer points. Connect Express will be a series of point-to-point express routes that use the freeway system in town. Some of these destinations will be the Dodge Raceway Stadium and fairgrounds stadium district. imageedit_11_2548224338.png|''Connect Local'' logo imageedit_13_2348203999.png|''Connect Rapid'' logo imageedit_16_5346479808.png|''Connect Express'' logo Imageedit 27 9676418747.png|''Connect Local'' pictogram Imageedit 28 7810189413.png|''Connect Rapid'' pictogram Imageedit 29 2280682943.png|''Connect Express'' pictogram Commuter rail Commuter rail began running in 1992 after the Downtown Central Train Station opened that would facilitate future expansion of the rail lines. Initially the Blue Line was the only train running from downtown to Ducken Road Park. In 1995 the Green Line began carrying passengers from downtown to the Expo 95 fairgrounds while the Red Line opened in 1998 and stopped halfway between downtown and the fairgrounds. The Orange Line was a proposed route that would run from the Downtown Central Train Station to a small station near Maple Leaf Cemetary in Oak Harbor. This station and rail line would have opened by 2005 but as of 2011 is abandoned. By 2001 ridership on the intracity trains dwindled as more bus routes were added and and by 2005 all three train routes had been running at a deficent for at least four years. The final train left Downtown Central Train Station and traveled south out of town in 2008. The station sat empty until 2010 when it was demolished to make room for the Northwest Adventure Park. Metro The Rapid City Subway system was first proposed in 2004 with the first tunnel being built in 2012. The metro lines have quickly expanded to six and have become the most popular mode of public transit in the city with 3,500 weekly riders accounting for 61% of total ICT ridership. Monorail ICT first began operating a monorail in 1995 which ran around the perimeter of the Expo 95 fairgrounds. The Expo 95 SkyTrain operated fare-free from its unveiling in 1995 until mid-1996 when it became $0.50 a trip. In 1998 it was increased to $1 a ride and by 2005 it cost $1.75. It was redesigned slightly for the opening of Mtn Dew Stadium and renamed the Reign Forest SkyTrain and now costs $3.75 on game days and $2 the rest of the time. The East/West Lines of the Rapid City Monorail opened in 2009 and replaced streetcar lines running on the same streets. They connect the historic downtown core to the Eastgate Shopping Center and are the most traveled lines. The Uptown Connection began running in 2015 and connects the Eastgate Shopping Center to the Expo 95 Fairgrounds via Chinatown. Light rail University Streetcar The University Streetcar opened on September 27, 2002 running in a loop around the Whidbey Island University campus helping students easily reach Corcoran Hall and Johnson Hall without walking the length of Campus Lake. Rapid City Streetcar The Rapid City Streetcar is a light rail system that first opened for service as a small downtown loop in 2008. There are currently three streetcar routes with two additional ones planned for the future. Transfer Stations Island Connections Transit currently operates four transit hubs and transfer stations across Rapid City. All of them serve bus routes while also allowing transfers to other modes of transit. Downtown Transfer Station The University Streetcar opened on September 27, 2002 running in a loop around the Whidbey Island University campus helping students easily reach Corcoran Hall and Johnson Hall without walking the length of Campus Lake. Eastgate Transit Station The Rapid City Streetcar is a light rail system that serves the downtown area and will eventually connect to Ducken Road Park and areas further north. The initial downtown loop is opened in 2008. Fairgrounds Transit Center The University Streetcar opened on September 27, 2002 running in a loop around the Whidbey Island University campus helping students easily reach Corcoran Hall and Johnson Hall without walking the length of Campus Lake. Airway Heights Transit Center The Rapid City Streetcar is a light rail system that serves the downtown area and will eventually connect to Ducken Road Park and areas further north. The initial downtown loop is opened in 2008. began operating a monorail around the perimeter of the Expo 95 fairgrounds in 1995 which was free to all guests of the expo. The Expo 95 SkyTrain operated fare-free from 1995 until mid-1996 when it became $1.50 a trip. It expected to be redesigned for Mtn Dew Stadium.Commuter rail began running in 1992 after the Downtown Central Train Station opened that would facilitate future expansion of the rail lines. Category:Companies based in Randall City